Nigerian armed forces operate a military vehicle in a security operation amid ongoing tensions.
Islamic State in the Sahel has claimed responsibility for a coordinated overnight attack on Niger’s main international airport and a nearby air force base in the capital, Niamey, underscoring the region’s worsening security crisis. According to jihadist statements, motorcycle-borne fighters used heavy weapons and drones to strike the site, damaging multiple commercial aircraft. Niger’s junta says its forces repelled the assault, killing 20 attackers and arresting 11 others. Rather than acknowledging the jihadist threat, junta leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani blamed neighboring countries and former colonial power France without evidence, warning them to prepare to “hear us roar.” The attack coincided with a separate IS strike in Nigeria that killed nine soldiers, highlighting the expanding reach of extremist groups across the Sahel region.
The Guardian